Yahoo agrees to buy Tumblr for $1.1 billion, but questions already arise about how new native ads will affect cachet.

Buick Motor Co. celebrates 110 years. 

P&G launches major review of its advertising ROI.

Actavis acquires Warner Chilcott in $5 billion pharma deal.

Billabong sees brand value drop after failed buyout attempts.

Campbell Soup meets high earnings hopes.

Chrysler quality now rivals Toyota, exec claims.

DirecTV considers bid for Hulu.

Domino's debuts DVD that smells like pizza.

GM accelerates financial and operational streamlining, CFO says.

Google may allow branded apps for Glass.Continue reading...

What will Hilco Consumer Capital do now that it has iconic music retailer HMV in its hands?

The company, which has previously acquired several other struggling brands like Polaroid, Borders and Linen 'n' Things, recently took over the bankrupt firm, paying off its £176m ($277.45 million) in debt to Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland.

The long-enduring HMV chain has 240 stores in Britain, Ireland, Singapore and Hong Kong, with about 4,000 employees in all. (In 2011, Hilco took in HMV's Canadian operations.) Its struggles come after Blockbuster, Tower Records and other once-dominant music and video retailers have declined or died off as digital delivery and online ordering continues surged.

Hilco is supported by media companies like Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Universal Music and Warner Music, all of which will likely play a big part in the next step. Retail-Digital.com reports that those companies “have offered to cut the price of DVDs and CDS and are even considering offering the retailer better credit terms.” That could soon mean good deals for consumers.

Apple "friends" Facebook, adds features and cozies up to car brands to stay ahead of Google.

Disney and Netflix clash over DVD rental windows.

Google-branded Nexus tablet rumored.

BMW and Audi rivalry intensified in May as BMW courts bloggers.

Bacardi debuts new flavored rums in "breakthrough" bottles.

comScore releases much-discussed analysis of marketing on Facebook.

Domino's hits $1-billion-plus in digital sales.

Evian pursues one-touch online ordering.

L'Oreal decentralizes marketing globally.Continue reading...

Apple reportedly plans in-store branded boutiques at Target, while the iPhone's new Siri feature is said to double mobile data usage.

Porsche and Volkswagen compensation claims increase, while VW closes market cap gap with Toyota and looks to expand in China and India.

Dunkin' Donuts gears up to double number of U.S. locations.

Alcoa is scaling back.

Audi is adding models to win more U.S. market share.

Baskin-Robbins to expand to Vietnam.Continue reading...

One of the top contenders for the title of Children's Film of the 2012 Holiday Season is Arthur Christmas. An Aardman production for Sony Pictures Animation, the cross between The Polar Express and Megamind is a fast-paced, lively bit of family fun that looks at such seasonal quandaries as how does Santa deliver 2 billion plus packages in one night?

Not surprising, the film — which opens on Nov. 23 — boasts a number of brand tie-ins, including Toys R Us and UPS, which is teaming with the movie's marketers in a cross-promotion to benefit the Toys for Tots literacy program. One brand that came out of movie tie-in retirement to join Arthur Christmas was Denny's. We spoke with Denny’s vice president of marketing about why the brand teamed with this film after a six year hiatus from the big screen.Continue reading...

You've got to hand it to Dov Charney. The mustachioed founder/CEO of American Apparel doesn't give a damn (or a tee) that his once-hip hipster fashion line has been given less than 18 months to live.

A video posted on the brand's YouTube channel shows the struggling brand's CEO chatting with a reporter from his homeland — Canada — to prove that the rumors of his brand's death are greatly exaggerated. Other videos feature the marketing team, the creative team, the production team, the chief manufacturing officer, the showroom — even shipping & receiving and the masseuse.

Yes, 24/7 Wall Street feels you'd better enjoy that bowl of Kellogg’s Corn Pops while wearing some American Apparel clothing and reading your Soap Opera Digest right now. Get a call in on your Nokia phone while you’re at it and grab a bite at an A&W restaurant.Continue reading...

A modern update of 1992's Single White Female, psychological thriller The Roommate emerged as the cinematic victor of Super Bowl weekend. The film, #1 in North America with $15.6 million at the North American box office, is packed with brands — but very few stand out.

But this being a Sony Pictures production, we did not want of Sony products. And in the end, the most interesting plot twist of The Roommate is the ironic anti-Facebook Facebook-like site created for the film.Continue reading...

By chalking up its 100 millionth user, Twitter can no longer be denied as a media platform that's here to stay. Yet many struggle to see the value in communicating in 140 charters or less, including Twitter itself. Coinciding with its 100 millionth user, Twitter this week unveileda number of initiatives to leverage the brand to generate revenue. For Twitter, "making money was now a primary goal."

It's somewhat odd to think that a service with 100 million users has no solid way to turn a profit, handsome or not. (As Stephen Colbert teased Twitter co-founder Biz Stone during an interview, "So, I assume that 'Biz' in 'Biz Stone' does not stand for 'Business Model'.") Then again, that might be exactly why Twitter has cruised to 100 million users.Continue reading...